Question about support for my family...

January 2nd, 2013, 01:59 AM

Hello everyone,

I leave soon to return to OSUT from our holiday block leave. I'm once again leaving my wife and infant at home.

My question is this: What can I do to make this stretch a bit easier on them? So far I've used our video camera to record several videos for them to watch while I'm gone, I've recorded my voice in several recordable storybooks that my wife can play for our daughter, and I've set a reminder in my wife's phone that'll play a personalized message on a certain date at a certain time. I'm looking for other ideas to keep my family as close as possible during this short time apart.

It's not a deployment but the first stint really showed me what an amazing family I have at home. I'm looking to do whatever I can to make this next stint as smooth as possible.

I leave soon to return to OSUT from our holiday block leave. I'm once again leaving my wife and infant at home.

My question is this: What can I do to make this stretch a bit easier on them? So far I've used our video camera to record several videos for them to watch while I'm gone, I've recorded my voice in several recordable storybooks that my wife can play for our daughter, and I've set a reminder in my wife's phone that'll play a personalized message on a certain date at a certain time. I'm looking for other ideas to keep my family as close as possible during this short time apart.

It's not a deployment but the first stint really showed me what an amazing family I have at home. I'm looking to do whatever I can to make this next stint as smooth as possible.

Thank you for any ideas/ experience you can share.

Godspeed.

Well, what negatives were there while you were gone? I am sure they are a great family...but that is focusing on the positives of the situation becuase you're the dad and thats what you are supposed to do. Tell us what may not have went well while you were gone, or what you were concerned about, and than some people will have some suggestions.

Get some per-stamped postcards from the post office, and pre-address them. That way, you can dash off a quick note home in just a few minutes. Yeah, email and voicemail have their place, but people still love getting "real" mail. It's also a keepsake to treasure 30 years from now.

You can also pre-arrange flower delivery weeks in advance. Key tip: get the flowers delivered to her at work, not at home. If she gets them at work, she gets the added benefit of basking in the envy of all the other women in the office that she hates. Have them delivered at the beginning of the week, so she gets to keep them on her desk for a few days.

My daughter was born when I was in Iraq for a year in 2005/2006. Are there friends and family around? I hope so since you are in the Guard and are gone from your home town. In my case, I moved my family to Fort Campbell in which my wife did not know anyone but we had my mother-in-law and the local FRG was very weak during those times.

I been combat deployed two more times since then. Hopefully, these events, makes the marriage/bond stronger. We also have marriage retreats that are available upon our return.

Facebook today keeps the communication going. How much longer you are going to be separated?

Thanks for the response. The initial separation made our marriage very strong. Our bond is stronger now than its ever been.

I graduate at the end of February, so we don't have long to go. I mainly posted to see if any veterans has tips they'd used while away from family to make it easier on both the family and the soldier.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

My approach may contrast with the status quo. I prefer to keep contact with my family as minimal as possible to keep focus on my mission and to not let family distractions interfere with my daily happenings. That approach has allowed time to move somewhat faster since I also involved myself in extra PT activities and education studies.

I been with my spouse for 20 years so we know how to play off one another and she is a very strong partner in the mental sense.

Since you are very busy at AIT so your days will fly. Plus, you are stateside, so communication is somewhat of a breeze; due to the closeness of time zones. In Afghanistan and my family in Mountain Time; everytime I was up; they were asleep and vice-versa. Many servicemembers downrange interacted with their family on SKYPE on a daily basis.